We’re halfway through November and I’m only posting this.
( Late to the party, as always. )
Considering it’s spooky season, I expected October to be a good reading month, only for the tables to turn halfway through. I joined two readathons — the Hocus Pocus Readathon and Spooktober Readathon — and failed spectacularly. Pretty much on brand at this point.
Last October I managed to read four and a half books, and one graphic novel before a really bad reading slump took its toll. Since then, I’ve started three other books to no avail.
( Still haven’t picked up a book that could cure this slump. )
Anyway, I’m dividing my October wrap-up between the two readathons I attempted to participate in, noting their designated prompt for each book.
Hocus Pocus Readathon
This readathon was kind of a success if we consider the rules and prompts. For this readathon, I was a part of Team Sanderson Sisters. I gained extra points for watching the Hocus Pocus movie. Years and years later and it still remains a Halloween must-watch and fave!
Our extra “prompts” include the following:
Strength: You cast a spell of speed to catch those pesky children. You can skip one prompt and still get the points.
I was hoping I wouldn’t need to use this one, honestly. In the end, I didn’t have time to read my last book (The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell) to fulfill the Sarah prompt which was to read a book that features sisters, so I had to tick it off using this strength.
Weakness: People know about the history of the Sanderson sisters, you must go into hiding. You can’t read for a whole 24 hours.
The amount of days in October where I couldn’t find the motivation to read… but we won’t talk about that. Initially, I used this weakness on literally the first day of October thinking I’d read everyday after that, but apparently joke’s on me!
Group Book
The group book for Team Sanderson Sisters was Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu. I honestly didn’t think I’d get to it since I wasn’t in a graphic novel mood, but I was feeling slumpy and it’s a quick read. No regrets. This was super wholesome and absolutely adorable!
Winifred: Read a book about powerful witches.
Rating: 4 stars
For this prompt, I read Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer. The sapphic witches bit definitely got me even though I really wasn’t in the mood to read it at the time. Very glad I did though because, while it was dark, I enjoyed the experience immensely.
Full review of Witches of Ash and Ruin HERE.
Mary: Read a book about an evil character.
Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)
This readathon gave me the opportunity to finally read Blood Countess by Lana Popović which was my most anticipated release of 2020. It’s a queer retelling of the story of Countess Elizabeth Bathory aka my adolescent obsession. Unfortunately, the story fell a little flat for me.
Full review of Blood Countess HERE.
Spooktober Readathon
My expectations for myself were low but, man. The books for this readathon were the ones I was most excited about, but this readathon is the one I failed miserably. I was part of Team Horror, and managed to tick off only two (and a half) of six prompts. How embarrassing.
Read a book with a black cover.
Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)
I swear to God, this book. I intended to read this book so I can compare it with the movie. Spoiler alert: The movie was a fucking disaster. The book, however? Holy shit. It was really good. A little dragging at the beginning, but there’s only so much you can do during a road trip. As we reach the end, though, it became incredibly anxiety-inducing.
Full review of I’m Thinking of Ending Things HERE.
Read a book with paranormal elements.
Rating: 3 stars
As the foundation of modern haunted house stories, this was just okay. I was excited to read it because of all the raving reviews, and especially because I wanted to see the inspiration for the Netflix series of the same name. Mind you, the book is completely different from the series. The book sadly kind of fell flat for me, but it was fun seeing all the references.
Full review of The Haunting of Hill House HERE.
Read a spooky book that’s been on your TBR.
Rating: TBA
Despite being a predicted 5-star read — and don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely enjoying this book — I just haven’t been in the right mood to pick it up. I made it halfway through this one, and I plan on picking it up again… eventually. PS: This book has been the spookiest one I’ve read in October, honestly, and I’m not even done with it.
A little bummed out about how October went considering it’s my favorite time of the year. All those spooky books, wasted. (Dramatic considering I can read it any time of the year, anyway.) I had so many reading plans that didn’t manage to accomplish because of a really bad reading slump (which I am still in). Hopefully I get over it soon because I really want to read.
This post got lengthier than I intended. If you’re reading up to here: thank you! I’ll see you in my next post. Hope November has been a good reading month for you so far!
FIND ME ELSEWHERE:
Cherry Actually Reads 
One thought on “(Late) October Wrap-Up 2020 | failing both readathons #shocker”